Review: The Mummy

Synopsis:

Thought safely entombed in a tomb deep beneath the unforgiving desert, an ancient princess (Sofia Boutella of Kingsman: The Secret Service and Star Trek Beyond) whose destiny was unjustly taken from her is awakened in our current day, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia and terrors that defy human comprehension.

From the sweeping sands of the Middle East through hidden labyrinths under modern-day London, The Mummy brings a surprising intensity and balance of wonder and thrills in an imaginative new take that ushers in a new world of gods and monsters.

What We Thought:

Critics have claimed The Mummy is Tom Cruise’s worst film. They also said Wonder Woman was fantastic. Needless to say I don’t pay attention to any of them.

Is The Mummy great? No, not at all. It’s your standard Summer blockbuster type film with lots of effects and very little plot. Would I run out and see it again? No. I’d probably catch it on Blu-ray or cable a year from now though. Is it Tom Cruise’s best work? Nope, but it’s not his worst either.

The biggest problem with the film is that it feels lazy. At this point in time Cruise can do a movie like this in his sleep. After five Mission: Impossible movies Cruise can, pun intended, cruise through a movie of this caliber. The CG filled action doesn’t come close to even the worst M:I film. Even the first Jack Reacher film had better action.

Maybe that’s the problem with the movie, we expect more from Cruise even at his age. For a film that’s supposed to reboot old Hollywood monster movies, it just doesn’t do much. It’s watchable and does have some positives, but the story and the mummy itself is pretty lackluster.

While watching it I compared The Mummy character to Enchantress in Suicide Squad. Both are supernatural beings, but neither villain seems to accomplish anything. It’s almost like they forgot to make the villain of the movie the actual villain. I don’t know if I ever really rooted against her and that’s a problem.

The biggest positive is Russell Crowe. I’m a huge fan of his and didn’t realize he played a big role in this. He plays Dr. Henry Jekyll and that’s a giant hint at who he is. There is way more to him than there is to The Mummy itself. Crowe is a better actor, but the movie should be dominated by The Mummy which it is not.

The Mummy is watchable. It’s far from great, but I would rewatch it sooner than I would Wonder Woman. I think the easiest comparison is to a Transformers movie. They aren’t good, are super CG laden and have very little story, but it’s the summer and you sort of expect that at this point. Cruise has done much better work and I don’t see it being a monster at the box office, but there are far worse movies out than this.

Cast & Crew:

• Tom Cruise
• Annabelle Wallis
• Jake Johnson
• Sofia Boutella
• Russell Crowe
• Courtney B. Vance

Recommended If You Like:

• Tom Cruise
• Classic Monster Movies
• Summer Blockbusters